Vacation Villa Rental Description:

Villa Ornella is a large and ancient villa made in stone, of approximately 650 square meters (7000 square feet), which sleeps seventeen persons. It is built on two levels, and it is located in a panoramic hillside position. It has a swimming pool of 6 meters by 12 meters (20 by 40 feet), and it is surrounded by a large garden and by a wide olive grove. It is 35 km (approximately 20 miles) from Siena and 80 km (50 miles) from Florence.

It has eight bedrooms with a double bed, one bedroom with a single bed, a studio with a kitchenette, ten bathrooms and many spacious living rooms.

Villa Ornella was built a few centuries ago, and it has been restored with great respect for its past history.

It is located close to the top of a hill, at an altitude of 530 meters (1740 feet), in the Chianti area, famous all over the world for being the production area of the Chianti wine.

As you drive uphill along the road that will take you to the villa, your sight will be able to glide over a wider and wider panorama of the Val D'Ambra, which is a narrow valley whose slopes are covered by woods.

The fascinating history of this valley dates back a thousand years. Today you will still be able to see its woods broken here and there by ancient burgs closed within stone walls and by ancient farms where vines and olives are grown.

Once you are at the top you will be taken to the villa along a country road flanked by two rows of slender cypresses.

The villa will appear to you as a large stone building, isolated and surrounded by green lawns.

The lawns are crowned by the silver-green leaves of the olive trees and, at a distance, by the deep dark green of the trees of the wood.

The air is fresh and clear, all around there is silence and tranquillity. No other buildings can be seen nearby, and your sight is free to wander on a wide horizon of faraway hills.

You will feel like you have traveled into time and have arrived into a different dimension. You won't be surprised at learning that a famous American television troupe has picked this villa to shoot a movie.

You will find that at Villa Ornella the outdoor spaces at your disposal are really wide.

On the front of the villa the nice driveway takes you to a large patio decorated with flowers.

At the back of the villa you will find at your disposal a large level lawn crossed by stone paths. In the middle of this lawn the splendid swimming pools opens, surrounded by a sundeck equipped with beach umbrellas and deck chairs.

You will be able to take the lovely walkway among flowered short walls and rose bushes and go discover your favorite corner in the olive grove, in the orchard or in the wood.

You will find that the interior of the villa is spacious beyond imagination, too, and rich in the charm of an authentic Tuscan countryside villa.

From the entrance on the front a short stairway will let you enter the first floor. Here you will be welcomed in a large dining room. The room is furnished with a large oval marble table, and it has two large arched windows, through which you will be able to enjoy a nice view of the swimming pool and of a wide horizon of hills.

Next there is a roomy kitchen, equipped with a fireplace, a large refrigerator with freezer, a six-burner cooker, an oven and a dishwasher.

A small hall and a short corridor next to the dining room will take you to some of the bedrooms with their respective bathrooms. In this area there are two bedrooms with double bed, one of which has an en-suite bathroom with bathtub, a bedroom with two single beds that can be made into a double, a bedroom with a single bed. There are also two bathrooms with shower.

Still on the first floor, on the opposite side of the dining room and with entrance from the stairway, you will find two more bedrooms with a double bed and their respective bathrooms. This group of rooms has its own lobby with a sofa, a table and a fireplace.

A short internal stairway will take you on the ground floor. Two more bathrooms with their respective bathrooms are located on this level. Here, as well, a living room with table, sofa, fireplace and a small kitchen is a lobby to these bedrooms. One of these is a large suite, with an area equipped with sofas and armchairs separated by an arch from the bedroom with a double bed. Each bedroom has its own bathroom.

The whole center area of the ground floor is taken up by a large living room: in a large hall with ancient walls made of red bricks you will find, placed in a semicircle around an ancient fireplace, many sofas and armchairs. This hall is equipped with satellite television.

Three large arched glass door brings light to the room and will allow you to see the lawn and the swimming pool from inside.

In front of this living room you will find a patio, equipped with two table and chairs, which will certainly become your favorite outdoor dining room.

Next to the living room, still on the ground floor, you will also find a spacious family room with a billiard table (pool table), bar, fireplace and sofas. In this area there is also a bathroom.

On this side of the ground floor, next to the family room, there is a room with bathroom and kitchenette. You will be able to enter this room from the garden.

Thus you will find that the bedrooms with their respective bathrooms and lobbies/living rooms (with fireplaces, tables and sofas), are arranged in three distinct areas of the villa. You will have plenty of space at your disposal and will be able to enjoy your independence and privacy even staying here with a number of friends!

The villa is furnished in a welcoming and complete fashion, with many authentic pieces of furniture made in the Italian style of the twenties. The floors are tiled with authentic Tuscan terracotta tiles, and the ceilings are held by wood beams.

Several rooms of the villa have a fireplace. When the villa was built, a few centuries ago, fireplace were the only way to heat the rooms. Nowadays there is, of course, an excellent heating system.

You will have a barbecue at your disposal.

You will also find a laundry room in a detached building, with washing machine and dryer, as well as a parking area.

The grounds are fenced.

The closest villages where you will find shops are Ambra, at 8 km (5 miles) and Monte San Savino, at 11 km (7 miles).

Excellent restaurants are at approximately 2 km (1.5 miles), in Palazzuolo.

Villa Ornella is located on the hillside, at 530 meters (1740 feet) above the sea level, in the Chianti area. It is 35 km (21 miles) from Siena. Other well-known tourist spots as Arezzo and Cortona are at 35 km (21 miles) as well. Florence and Perugia are at approximately 80 km (50 miles). The sea is at 90 km (55 miles), Pisa at 125 km (77 miles), Roma at 230 km (143 miles).

With short trips you will be able to visit many beautiful art cities of Tuscany: Siena, Arezzo, Pisa, Lucca, San Gimignano, Certaldo, Montaione, Volterra, Vinci, the Versilia and so others.

If you are fond of the countryside and of hiking, you will be able to take trips in the towns of the classic Chianti and in the small charming villages in the area. If you choose to move around driving along the tiny country roads you will be able to enjoy sweet landscapes away from the noise and the crowds.

If you like wine and food, you will be able to choose among several famous trattorias and restaurants which can be reached from the villa in 20 minutes, and also visit farmhouses and cellars where you will be able to shop for wine, olive oil and other local produce.

The kind owners will provide you with suggestions and instructions on how to reach these spots.

Your vacation at Villa Ornella will relax your mind and your body, maybe after a day spent sightseeing and admiring the artistic and historic treasures that nearby Siena and the other art cities of Tuscany preserve.